Man gets up to a decade for Catasauqua park stabbing

A 21-year-old man will serve up to a decade in prison for stabbing a teen in March at a Catasauqua park during a melee witnesses said occurred between "Catasauqua kids" and "Whitehall kids."

Nathanael Bernard Claudio, whose last known address is in Nesquehoning, was sentenced Wednesday to five to 10 years in state prison by Lehigh County Judge Maria L. Dantos.

"The bottom line is we need to keep you away from society," Dantos told Claudio, noting he's been in trouble since he was a juvenile. "You're a very, very dangerous young man."

Claudio stabbed 17-year-old Anthony Harris on March 23 at Catasauqua's St. John Street Park.

During a preliminary hearing in May, Harris said he watched his 15-year-old friend get pounded at the park by someone who appeared to be several years older, so he stepped in and took the man on himself.

The second fight created a melee involving as many as 30 people and ended with Harris being stabbed multiple times.

Harris needed open heart surgery and was hospitalized for six days.

Harris didn't attend Wednesday's hearing, but his foster father, Donald Hunter, urged Claudio to come out of state prison a better person.

"Being a criminal — you're not very good at it," Hunter told Claudio. "I hope you choose a new career. … We don't wish you harm, we wish you life. Take a lesson from this."

Claudio pleaded guilty but mentally ill in October to aggravated assault. His attorney, Irene Chiavaroli Johns, said Claudio suffers from psychosis, was abused by his father and has had six step-fathers.

Claudio told Hunter he prays for Harris and his family every day and apologized for the stabbing.

"I know I seem like a monster in your eyes," Claudio said. "I've been sitting in my cell thinking about what I've done … I caused all this pain that you'll have to deal with for the rest of your life."

A few of Claudio's friends testified against him during his preliminary hearing, saying seven of them went to the park because their friend, Steven Snyder, had arranged to fight one of the "Catasauqua kids."

Snyder, 18, said he went to fight the teen in retaliation for being jumped by that teen and others at the Lehigh Valley Mall.

According to Snyder and several others, Snyder beat up the 15-year-old around 7:30 p.m. The fight enraged Harris, who was playing basketball, because Harris believed Snyder was too old to fight the teen.

Harris said he stormed toward Snyder and his friends, and when Snyder put his hand in Harris' face, Harris punched him. Witnesses said Snyder tried to walk away, but Harris followed and pummeled him.

Snyder said Claudio, his friend, pulled out a knife and stabbed Harris several times in the torso. One witness said Claudio brandished two knives.

Harris said he had five separate injuries and went to St. Luke's University Hospital-Fountain Hill and underwent 12 hours of surgery.

"My son has moved forward," Hunter said. "He could have let this ruin the rest of his life, but he didn't. He chose to stand back up."

Court records show Claudio pleaded guilty in 2010 to receiving stolen property and was placed on probation by Carbon County authorities. He was sent to prison in June 2011 for violating his probation after pleading guilty to new theft and drug possession charges filed by Bethlehem police.

He served six months in Carbon County Prison and was released on parole in December.

After the hearing, Chiavaroli Johns had a confrontation with her client's father, who apparently wasn't happy with the sentence.

"Get away or I'll have you arrested," she yelled, as the man's son was led off to prison.